"It was my mission for us to indulge and explore life’s joys. We’d escape the city and search for waterfalls, cook lobster, and nap in the grass. We’d jump in the ocean without towels, just to enjoy the sun drying us, and never stress about details like sand in the car."

Here are 11 of the highlights from their travels around America.

1. Ride in a canoe

"Gizelle and I always used to watch The Little Mermaid together, and a favorite scene was the one where Ariel is chauffeured in a row boat by Prince Eric. So I was determined to get all 160 pounds of my easily spooked pup into a canoe."

2. See Times Square

"Like most New Yorkers, Gizelle and I were a little repulsed by Times Square. That said, it’s still a famous New YorkCity landmark, so I decided we would go at 6:45 a.m. before the life-size cartoon characters and tourists could clog the sidewalks."

3. Cook lobster in Maine

"We travelled all the way to Well’s Beach in Maine to find two perfect lobsters. I fed Gizelle hot buttered lobster chunks with a fork."

4. Eat ice cream on a dock

"In complicated and busy Manhattan, it’s easy to forget about the simple things. I made it my mission to find a quiet dock where Gizelle and I could have an ice cream, watch the boats float by, and enjoy."

5. Go on a road trip

"Gizelle loved the car, so I rented one and Gizelle, my best friend Rebecca, and I took off for a four-day girls-only road trip through New England, with no particular destination in mind."

6. Spend a whole day at Washington Square Park

"For an entire day, Gizelle and I sat in Washington Square Park in downtown N.Y.C. and people watched."

7. Go to a party and meet a cute boy dog

"Gizelle had always been my wing girl for picking up guys in the East Village; now it was her turn."

8. Find the best doughnut in the world

"As she got sicker, Gizelle’s appetite began to disappear and mine did, too. So when a friend told us about a family-owned doughnut-store gem, Congdon’s Donuts, we went on a quest to find it up the coast of Maine."

9. Meet Santa

"I knew 2014 would be Gizelle’s last Christmas, and I really wanted her to meet Santa."

10. Sit on the beach in the winter

"I was told Gizelle wouldn’t make it until Christmas, but in January we sat by the ocean in Maine as it snowed the day before she died."